Bella Through the Looking Glass
by Latest From The Asylum
Summary: On the first night of March, Bella begins dreaming of a land filled with familiar faces, twisted places, and bloody aces. At first, she and Edward pass it off as just a few simple nightmares- but slowly they figure out that Bella's mad world is real.
1. Like any other Night

It was the first night of March when the dreams began.

Like any other night, I slipped into bed early, not having to wait a minute for Edward to come knocking on my window.

Like any other night, we chatted a bit; playful kisses and loving smiles abounded.

Like any other night, I dozed in his arms his chilly marble chest my headrest.

Like any other night, he sang me to sleep—my lullaby, naturally.

Unlike any other night, however, my dreams were a reality and just a bit nightmarish.


	2. Curious Dreamer

Sleep comes swiftly to one in loves arms, and with swift sleep, comes lucidity.

Edward's voice hummed away to the caw of the mocking swallow, his hair brushing to leaves against my cheeks. To my eyes, the dull color of my room burst into an array of neons and dazzled texture… a mad man's meadow.

_Our _meadow, actually. I sat up, a smirk playing across my lips as I surveyed the familiar patch of grass. Like in life, it was near circular, trees reaching up to the could-clogged sky in a protective barrier for the bed of flowers as well as Edward and I—or simply I, seeing as I had yet to find my love in the dream. The smirk blossomed into a smile as I stood. _A game of hide and seek, Edward? Seriously, I'd thought you'd grow out of that after a century or so…_

I made my way to the edge of the field, searching for the tell-tale glint in the sunlight. But by the time I reached the tall and twisting trees of the forest, I hadn't spotted him. _Why do vampires have to be so damn good at hiding? _However, I kept the smile despite my frustration. _It's just a dream, Bella. You're in control. He'll come if you want him to come… God. If that doesn't scream 'come hither' I don't know what does. I've got to stop hanging out with __Alice__—she's making me pervy._

A giggle escaped my lips as gust blew through the forest, making the branches twitch and quiver above me. Like the field, the scenery around me was painfully similar to what I knew in the waking world—yet, as Edward continued to remain absent and I took more time observing, there was something off the mark. A strange, unseen series of quirks riddled through the trees, making me feel like I was walking across the pages of a fairy tale rather than a dreary Washington Wood.

It was about the time I came to this realization when I picked up on a second set of feet crunching through the tree trunks. My smile brightened; I knew if I thought long and hard enough, he'd arrive.

The steps stopped behind me, and I turned. "Edwa—"

It wasn't him.

"'_Edwa'_, what, little miss?" The boy behind me quirked an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side in the way of a quizzical owl.

"Wait—Jasper?" I flushed, embarrassed it took me so long to recognize my boyfriends adoptive brother.

The boy mirrored my frown. "Jasper? I'm sorry but, I haven't a clue who you're speaking of. Perhaps you've got the wrong man, little miss?"

"The wrong—" I took a second look at the boy. He was tall, with pale blonde hair curling around his shoulders so much similar to that of the vampire I knew. His skin was fair, too, and eerily albino. White skin which struck strange with the way he dressed: the formal dress of black suit with pinstripes. The overcoat was missing, however, leaving the dark vest and cream undershirt exposed and glittering with their silver buttons and cuffs. Even stranger: his feet were bare, and his eyes—

I screamed.

"Jasper!" I gasped, horrified, "You—you—"

His curiosity melted off, and his crimson eyes sparked with a sort of maddened amusement. "I haven't given you a fright, have I little miss? You needn't worry—I mean you no harm." He held out his hands—his long, dead pale hands with spider-leg fingers— turned palms-up. He softened his smirk, _I mean you no harm. None at all. _"Relax before you faint, deary. You're prince won't be pleased to find you in such a state."

"Mean me—my prince—_what?_" I balked, still unable to get over his alien eyes. "You… you drank from someone, haven't you? You've—" I stopped short, reason finally catching up with me. _A dream, Bella, a dream. Jasper really didn't hurt anyone._

The boy's benign expression remained intact. "Ah, I get it. You must have confused me with one of those vam-pyre creatures I've been hearing so much about. An understandable mistake, little miss. However—" He stepped, or slunk-hard to tell when his movements were so fluid, forward. "you need to know this, even if you're a fool anywhere else; know this alone. Past the skin, I share no resemblance to this 'Jasper'. I'm simply me, and you're simply you. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You're simply—" I shook my head, hoping my thoughts would fall in order. They didn't. "If you're not Jasper… then who are you really?"

"I'm whomever you want me to be, little miss." He circled behind me, his arachnid hands creeping onto my shoulders. "It's _your _dream, after all."

"That's not—hold on. Hold on." I shrugged off his hands and turned to face him. "You're a figment of my imagination. You're not supposed to know that it's a dream."

He chuckled. A soft, sly chuckle, one that whispered he knew more than he let on. "Oh, for the sake of time, let's say I'm special. I'm you're accompanying knight on this fair voyage, _my dear._"

Heat splashed across my cheeks when he ducked forward, frost-laced lips brushing against my ear before in a dash of smoke, he vanished. _Sure runs fast for a 'non-vampire'…_

"Little deary wants to play, yet there is no one here willing join her. The poor little dear, it's just what she fears, lost without a lad to hold her?" His voice bounced around me, etched in with the wind. "Such a shame, such a shame, the girl with no name, lacking her prince to consol her."

"Edward's no prince." _As much as he acts like one_.

"Who is this Edward you speak of? No, no, you confused child, I speak only of your bleeding prince of hearts." A set of bare feet appeared atop the branch before me, and collecting above them was the rest of the dream imposter. "You don't recall? My, my, what they say of you topsiders are true. Dullards, the lot of you."

"I'm not a dullard, and you're not making any sense." I cocked my head, looking the strange man in the eye. "And I have a name."

"Isabella, I know." He rolled his eyes. "However, I cannot see why you'd want to be called by your topside name, you thinking this is a dream and all. Why not something a little more vibrant? With a kick of personality… but of course, that could require _a_ personality to begin with."

Ignoring the jibes were easy—keeping my curiosity quite, however, was a different matter. "How the hell do you know my name? And what are you talking about with all this '_thinking I'm in a dream'_ business? I don't think, I know. I fell asleep—"

"—at 11:46 p. your second-story bedroom in the arms of your 'Edward' as you so insist in calling him. He was humming you a tune, and you were swooning because it was all very romantic and in the haze you flickered out and arrived in _my _meadow crushing _my _darling flowers and stomping around in _my _wood." For the first time, the stranger frowned. "In fact, _I _should be the one who's put off, not you."

It took me a second to absorb all that he said. "Okay… yeah. How do you—" I stopped short, realizing that asking questions wasn't getting me anywhere. _Not like they would do me any good. When will I need random facts about a weird dream in the real world?_ Instead I decided to try to salvage what dream was left. "Can you just take me to Edward? Because, you know, it's _your _wood and you should know where everyone is in it."

The frown shattered into a laugh. "By _God! _You're a charmer. And for that I'll direct you to you're heartless prince. But I must warn you, he isn't what you'd call right in the head."

"Again, with the insults." I sighed.

"It's no insult." He vanished again, voice echoing from the hollow where his body once occupied. "I speak the truth when I say your prince is among the mad."

"The _mad?_" Despite myself, a chill shot down my spine. "Is he helpingCarlisle in the hospital-?"

"_Deary, _deary. Bella. Darling. No." His red eyes winked from the shadows, now ground level. "He _is _mad. Most everyone here is. As you most likely already noticed." A slice of grinning teeth joined the set of eyes, "I'm not exactly 'all there' myself."

"I can see…" I trailed, a little shell-shocked at the news. Sure, this was a dream and I never expected my dream Edward to live up to the real one but… _mad?_ "Will you still show me to him?"

Dream Jasper clicked his tongue. "And you're obviously not all here as well." The rest of him solidified, and he jumped up onto a low-hanging branch, swinging his legs over and perching on it's bark by the balls of his feet. "But if you so _desperately _want to know, I guess it's my duty as a proper gentleman and tell you." He pointed a bony finger to his left. "He's staying with Michael March for afternoon tea, I believe. Just keep your path true that direction and you shouldn't have any trouble finding them. But I warn you, darling, not to deviate. While I may have say in these forests, I'm hardly their only occupant. But I am the most… amiable. The others have no tolerance for the likes of you, and it's best to stay out of their business when possible. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded, a touch confused that the man who was just mocking me was now offering me advice. "Yes, you do. Thanks for your help."

"You won't be after long…" He crooned as I crossed under his branch on the way he directed, "… you wait and see, you'll be dreading the day you traded gazes with your precious prince."

And with one last crazed laugh, he was gone.


	3. Madder than the Hatter

_Children have you ever met the Boogeyman before?_

_No of course you haven't for you're much too good I'm sure…_

I knew I was nearing the edge of the forest when the music started to eek through the trees.

_Don't you be afraid of him if he should visit you,_

_He's a great big coward, so I'll tell you what to do._

As the brush thinned around me, the scent of herbal tea wafted in the air. Not long after, I could catch a glimpse of what a appeared to be a table set in the clearing ahead with a jubilee of mis-matched chairs scattered around it.

_Hush, hush, hush, here comes the Boogeyman_

_Don't let him come too close to you, he'll catch you if he can._

A few more steps, and I could hear two voices in chorus with the record, both male and one wonderfully familiar.

_Just pretend, that you're a crocodile_

_And you will find that Boogeyman will run away a mile._

In the clearing, I slipped into the nearest chair at the table; a winged leather armchair with worn black cushions. The bleached table cloth itched where it touched my legs, making me wish that I'd imagined myself in jeans rather than shorts. But the discomfort was quickly forgotten when I noticed the largest assortment of tea cakes I had ever seen. Piping pots lined the middle with crowds of porcelain cups along with the occasional tower of trays laden with finger cakes and tarts- I was in a baker's heaven.

_Say; shoo shoo, and stick him with a pin_

_Boogeyman will very nearly jump out of his skin_

I can see him now, past the pastries at the other end of the table. He's as lovely as ever; bronze hair flickering in the afternoon sun, green eyes grinning—_green eyes? His eyes are amber, not green. And his skin… it's pale but shouldn't it be sparkling in all this sun?_

_Tell him you got soldiers in your bed_

_For he will never guess that they are only made of lead_

To his left is… _Mike? What is he doing here? _I become even more confused when Edward throws an arm around him before launching into the next verse.

_Say; hush hush, he'll think that you're asleep_

_If you make a lovely snore away he'll softly creep_

As if on cue, a little hiccup of a snore squeaks out over the record player. For the first time I notice a little figure asleep in the chair next to me. _Alice__? _It took me a moment before I could be sure but of course, it was her. There was no one else I knew who could be so tiny and yet keep a certain level of maturity about her. _But still… since when is her hair streaked grey?_

_Hush, hush, hush; here comes the Boogeyman_

_Don't let him come too close to you he'll catch you if he can_

My gaze drifts back to Edward and Mike, still chumming it up. I keep an especially close eye on Edward, dream Jasper's words echoing through my mind;_"Deary, deary. Bella. Darling. No. He is mad. Most everyone here is."_

_Just pretend he isn't really there_

_You will find that Boogeyman will vanish in thin air_

I sigh and stand, reaching over several tea pots in an attempt to grab a particularly bright strawberry tart. _Might as well make due with what I have… _I make a grab for it, lose my balance, and my other hand crashes into the table in an instinctive attempt to balance out.

The record rattles to a stop, and Edward and Mike silence. They stare at me, I stare at them their shock growing along with the heated red of my cheeks.

Mike is the first one to snap into action. He slams his hands down on the table top. "No room! No room!" He shouts, scurrying out of his chair and around the table toward me, shooing me.

Not moving, I shoot him an incredulous look. He looks like the same old mike I know, except paler with an apparent affinity for corduroy. "What do you mean 'no room'? There's nothing but room."

My argument doesn't stop him, and he snatches the tart out of my hand with a shake of his head. "Sorry, miss. No room for outer folk. Never room for outer folk."

I snatch my treat back. "_Outer folk?_ What the hell is that supposed to—"

"March, wind down. Leave her be." My head snaps up at the sound of Edward's voice, so smooth, so familiar, even in through the guise of the increasingly drugged-up dream.

"But—" Mike—_or is it March?—_sputters, "She's not—she can't—"

"She will be and she can." Edward replies, taking a sip of tea. His eyes duck up from the cup, peering at me through thick black lashes. "My apologies. My colleague tends to be a tad… on edge during this time of day. I blame the sunlight; an awful bother, is it not?"

I shake my head, smiling, "Edward, you don't have to apologize, you should know that."

He sets his tea down, frowning, "I'm sorry, what did you just call me?"

I bite my lip, _here we go…_ "Edward. That's your name. Edward Cullen."

Without warning both he and March burst out laughing. Mike wipes a tear from his eye, "She thinks- oh, that's rich! She thinks your- an _Edward!_ Such a ridiculous name!"

Not-Edward struggles to regain composure, "No, no… that's not… me… you must… be… mistaken…"

I sink back into my chair, cheeks beet red. _Why can't this nightmare just end? I want my real Edward…_

It takes them a while to calm down, china rattling along with their laughter. Finally not-Edward, with a grin to rival not-Jasper's, addressed me seriously. "I'm sorry, young lass, you must have mistaken me for another."

_Now where have I heard that before?_ "Oh… sorry…" I muttered, sliding down even deeper into my chair. "I thought…"

"No, it's perfectly understandable." Not-Edward sighed, watching me over steepled fingers. "You must be so confused. It'd be unreasonable for us to expect anything more of you."

"Downright batty, this one is." March plopped into the chair to my left, licking the frosting flower off a cake. "Next thing you know, she'll be shoving us in the jam jar."

I shifted uncomfortably under their gaze. "I… never mind." Again I stood, head bowed. "Sorry to have bothered you."

But when I turn away, a hand takes me by the shoulder. "Wait—" I look back at not-Edward, tears threatening to spill over. I curse inwardly. _I will not cry, dammit. This is my dream, I will not cry. _"You want to go home, Miss…?"

"Swan. Bella Swan." _You should know that. You should…_

"Miss Swan," He lowers me back into the chair, eyes locked with mine. As foreign as they were, a naked honesty shone it them, telling me he was safe to trust however… off. "I can take you home, to topside. On my good word."

Settled back in the chair, I nod. "Okay."

He turned to March. "March, be a gentleman and get me my hat." Then he faced dream-Alice. "Alice, be a dear and start up the record. I'm afraid it's caught."

My ears perk at the sound of the familiar name. "Alice?"

Not-Edward nodded. "Yes, her name is Alice. You're catching on, aren't you?" He gave me a fleeting smile before turning back to her, smacking the back of her head. _"__Alice__!"_

She lazily lifted her head, shooting daggers at not-Edward. "I was already awake, Hatter."

"All the better then." Hatter returned her glare with a cheeky grin. "So you're more than ready to start up the record."

Alicegroaned, stretched, and bumbled out of her seat. Taking her sweet time waltzing to the record player, she snatches a cup of hot tea and downs it in one swig before tossing it over her shoulder. The cup shatters, and the music begins. March returns just as she slumps back into her chair, brandishing the Hatter's hat.

_Children have you ever met the Boogeyman before?_

_No of course you haven't for you're much too good I'm sure._

Aliceoffers another irritated glare Hatter's way. "Happy?"

_Don't you be afraid of him if he should visit you_

_He's a great big coward, so I'll tell you what to do_

The Hatter nodded. "Very."

_Hush, hush, hush, here comes the Boogeyman_

_Don't let him come too close to you he'll catch you if he can_

Alicedrags her gaze to me, and for a moment I could have sworn I saw recognition in her eyes. But before anything could have been done about it, the Hatter pulled the hat over my eyes.

_Just pretend, that you're a crocodile_

_And you will find that Boogeyman will run away a mile_

"What—" My hands fly up to the felt in an attempt of protest but the odor of what I can only guess is the metallic paste sends me into a coughing fit.

_Say; shoo shoo, and stick him with a pin_

_Boogeyman will very nearly jump out of his skin_

"Don't worry, don't worry. I simply needed to make sure you're eyes are closed, Miss Swan." I can feel one arm snake around my shoulders, fingers clasping my arm. "Now, while you can't see anything else… imagine home."

_Tell him you got soldiers in your bed_

_For he will never guess that they are only made of lead_

I struggle to quell my coughing so I can speak. "Just… imagine it?"

_Say; hush hush, he'll think that you're asleep_

_If you make a lovely snore away he'll softly creep_

"Yes, just imagine it." He whispers, holding me even closer. "That is all you need to do, my swan."

_Hush, hush, hush, here comes the Boogeyman_

_Don't let him come too close to you he'll catch you if he can_

I close my eyes, picturing myself back at home, in bed. In not Hatter's arms, but Edward's. I pretended I was only the vampire's swan, not the madman's.

_Just pretend he isn't really there_

_You will find that Boogeyman will vanish in thin air_


	4. It's all in your head, my dear

I was stuck, unable to wake, unable to slip back into sleep.

"_Bella? Bella?"_

Herbal mixes danced across my tongue as the all-too familiar voice nudged the edge of my consciousness.

"_Are you alright? Bella, can you hear me?"_

"You're not my Edward. No, you're not…" The single thought willed itself to my lips, and suddenly something shook me out of my state of limbo.

My eyes snapped open, and where immediately captured in molten gold, "Bella…" Edward's eyes smoldered with a strange mix of worry and relief, "Nightmare?"

I slid out from under him, rubbing my eyes, "Yeah… I guess…" I looked back up at him, and gave him a reassuring smile, "Stop giving me that worried look. It doesn't suit you."

He forced a smile, and scooted next to me, wrapping a long arm around my shoulders. He kissed my hair, muttering, "I'm just… concerned, that's all."

"Because my nightmares are definitely going to kill me." I snuggled closer to him, kissing his cheek, "I'm not _that_ accident prone, you know."

His troubled expression faded, and he kissed me back. When we pulled apart, he chuckled, "Well… you managed to get yourself tangled with vampires and werewolves in no time at all. I'd say nearly anything's possible with you."

I gave him a playful shove, standing up and walking across the room to my desk. I suppressed a curse when I saw the bright numbers of my digital clock proclaiming that it was three-twenty-two in the morning. I leaned over my computer, running a hand of the cluster of novels on the shelf behind it. Edward was behind me in a heartbeat, "May I suggest a read?"

"Nope. I've already decided." I pulled out a tattered children's book from the bottom of the stack, brushing the thin layer of dust that collected on the spine.

Edward frowned, "_Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?_ I was hoping for something a little more… sophisticated."

"Don't bash the classics, man." I flipped open the cover, eyes quickly flying over the little note on the inside cover.

_To Bella,_

_Have a very happy first birthday, and let this show that the possibilities are endless._

_-Your loving parents._

I smiled and began flipping through the old pages, smiling at the little girl swimming in the pool of tears as I settled in my desk chair, or more specifically, Edward's lap.

He reached around and flipped the page again, "I wouldn't really call this a 'classic'."

"It's older than you are."

"That doesn't make it any better." He frowned, "It's a little girl shoved down a hole and being forced to reason with mad people. Hardly a tale for the ages."

I would have retorted, but the lump in my throat stopped me. _He's among the mad, Bella._ Edward quickly caught on to my unease, "I'm sorry Bella. I didn't mean-"

"No, it's not that. It's just…" I flipped the pages, opening to the big bold words reading _The Mad Tea Party._ My stomach flipped, "My nightmare…"

Edward looked to the book, and then back to me, "You dreamed of Wonderland?"

I nodded, before adding, "And you… in a way." I flipped the page, my eyes scanning over the familiar words.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it." He murmured, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"No, I want to talk about it…" I flipped back a few pages, and began recounting my dream. I started with the field, and then dream-Jasper with his warning. I skimmed over where I wandered aimlessly through the forest, and finally, dream Edward, Mike, and Alice and the fiasco at the tea table.

I shook my head, trying to wave it all off, "But it's fine. Just a dream."

He slid his hands over mine, "You don't make it sound like a dream."

"It's just that… he said that you where _Mad…"_

Edward guided my hands, closing the book. "Well, in a way, I am."

I leaned back against him, "No you're not."

He chuckled, "Well, I have to be. I'm in love with you, putting you in danger, risking both our lives-"

I cut him off with a gentle kiss, and he gladly submitted. He carried me into bed, where we lay, chatting the rest of the night away. When the sun rose, he slid out the window, only to return two hours later at the door, to Charlie's dismay. I spent the Saturday at the Cullen house, and while the subject of my dream wasn't brought up again, I couldn't help but be reminded of it whenever I saw Edward, Jasper, or Alice. But each time I brushed it off. It was just a dream, after all, nothing to worry Edward much more about.

_Right?_

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**A/N: Short Chapter. Sue me. Sorry for the epically long space between updates... I've gotten busier and busier as the summer progresses, and less and less time to write. But still, I plan to keep up with all my fanfics as much as I can. Next chapter, we'll hopefully get a little plot developement, no? :)**

**Read and review!**


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